Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Could be. But I am hearing it from someone I respect on BYC. It may come down to when chicks are available, what the weather does, etc. I usually start them inside, but I hear chickens do so much better if they’re started outside. I just don’t think I have a warm and dry enough place to start them outside. The nice thing about the heat plate is that it is fairly low wattage. If the power goes out, I could run it off one of my battery back ups. I could even do that outside, maybe after they feather out.

I have run a heat plate outside as well. It works fine.

So does this hear plate though. It's a better model even though an older design

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[featherhead007]

I have run a heart plate outside as well. It works fine.

So does this hear plate though. It's a better model even though an older designView attachment 3377466.

I like that design! I heard great things about it! / her

 

[ChicoryBlue]

That looks great! Have they started to enjoy it yet?

They are not lounging on it. But at roosting time they did file up and stand on it today, waiting their turn to go in. I had a smaller mock porch board in place with the ladder gone for two days while I worked each afternoon for a while on a template for the "real" one and tested with the ladder. I found a poop on that today, so maybe that's an Inaugural Sign? Somebody paused long enough for that!

I do have a roosting story, from the first day with the mock board and the ladder gone: Popcorn was the bravest when I showed them all the new porch idea, and put some scratch on it. Popcorn was the only one brave enough to jump-fly up and get the scratch.

So when it came time to roost, she was all in, except Hazel kept chasing her away. Popcorn wants to roost earlier than the others. Plus she is often not allowed to until everyone else has gone in, and Hazel (sometimes Butters) enforces that. But now Hazel was stalling with this new thing. She is the most nervous about things, and usually uses the ladder, so she kept walking back and forth along the edge, craning her neck, examining it, probably doing all kinds of calculus. Everyone else, except Popcorn, pondered and hesitated with this new thing.

Popcorn kept approaching the edge to jump-fly up ("What's the big deal?") but Hazel kept chasing her away, and Popcorn would circle away and come back to try again. That happened a few times. Finally she made a short fake-out circle and zoomed right past Hazel and up onto the porch. She practically ran into the coop. That was good enough for everybody else and they too jump-flew up, except Hazel. She hesitated but eventually bit the bullet. She's not usually last to roost!

I missed the order tonight, except I did see someone using the reinstalled ladder, and someone, probably Popcorn but it may have been Butters (tail feathers), waiting on the new porch.

 

[BY Bob]

I like that design! I heard great things about it! / her

She is special for a fake barred rock.

 

[micstrachan]

Are we all taking about those ones the chicks hide under?
That is what I have - and it's been really good.

Found the one I have - it's a Titan brand 12x12.

Yes, that’s what we are discussing. Thanks!!

 

[micstrachan]

So eggcited for you! Don't any of your hens go broody? If they could have eggs do you think they would raise chicks?

Cashew, who is no longer with us, raised chicks. Little Mill goes broody, but then wants to kill the chicks who are interfering with her imaginary chicks. If Flo went broody this year, I’d let her raise chicks. I don’t think anyone else will go broody.

 

[micstrachan]

I have run a heat plate outside as well. It works fine.

So does this hear plate though. It's a better model even though an older designView attachment 3377466.

Precious! Here was my older model with better design:

 

[BY Bob]

Precious! Here was my older model with better design:
View attachment 3377480

How darling!

 

[RoyalChick]

My heat plate is amazing. I would really be surprised if burning under a heat plate was a real thing. That strains credulity.

I agree. There was a thread in here about someone getting burns but it turned out they just didn’t realize what normal skin looked like in a chick.
I think if you don’t have a real brooder heat plate but are adapting something else it could be a worry that it gets too hot - but certainly my heat plate could not burn a chick.

 

[micstrachan]

Porch project done

I moved the ladder over a bit so big ladies can more easily get by it on the closer side. I didn't hook the ladder behind the 2x2, it got too complicated for me to find the right hole distance and keep the ladder as snug against the surface as possible. It would have meant cutting a wedge in the plywood too. The welding corners keep the tube away a bit already. Anyway as Bob pointed out, for the weight this should be fine unless I'm going to roost on it! @bgmathteach the S-Biners are not in stock yet.
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Well look at that! It turned out really great!